Yet More Pics Added

Not only am I down about 10 pounds from the last set of pics, but these were taken only hours ago during my shift with the local FD. They're 1024x768 for the most part, but compressed pretty tight so they shouldn't take too long to load. I'll post more later if I get enough requests, but this'll give ya a look at things as an EMT.

You can click here to get to the pics.

Thin Line

"Before you choose your wish, son, you better think first.
With every wish
There comes a curse."
- With Every Wish, Bruce Springsteen

Vital Statistics

Because folks have been asking, here's some relative numbers from my physical last week.

Height: 6' 5 3/4"
Weight: 278 lbs
BP: 130/82
Resting Pulse: 63
Lung Capacity (based on height, weight, age): 143%

Guess all that cardio has paid off. Gotta love a gravel trail that runs along a river, and 94-degree heat to run it in!

I bumped up the weight on my workout routine at the gym today as well. I may get ambitious and post those numbers eventually, but they wouldn't mean much except to someone that lifts.

Meantime, suffice to say I'm in the best shape I've been in in several years. And it didn't take any newfangled diet to do it. Eat well, get some excercise, and show a bit of self-discipline. Hmph. Maybe I should write a book...

Tuckered

I dunno if it's just seven months of non-stop school, recent personal issues, lack of sleep, a long weekend, or a combination thereof, but I'm just plain worn out today. It's not just a "tired" thing - I'm used to that with my insomnia. This is the bone-weary kind of emotional tired that just makes you want to sit in a heap and stare at a blank wall for hours on end. So I went for a run along the river, but it was more of a leisurely stroll; no energy, no motivation, and a pounding headache that won't go away.

I'm sure everyone's excited to listen to me whine on about this, but I don't even have enough energy or emotional investment to whine about it any more.

In other news, I passed my FD physical with flying colors. Even my blood work looks good - cholesterol, triglycerides, etc, all normal. I have a "below average" risk of heart attack at the moment. That's good to know.

Only down side was that my ALT/AST levels were elevated again. I went through this a year ago or so, and thought I had it under control. The molecules are normally found in the liver and heart, and are released into the bloodstream during distress to one or the other of those organs. I think it's my liver, and I think it's from taking some herbal supplement or another. I went through it once when I was taking Kava Root (to help me sleep). Don't know what's causing it now, but I need to re-assess my dietary habits one more time, change things for a few months, and get retested (it takes about six months for the levels to change much). I'll keep y'all posted.

For now, I'm off to stare at a blank wall some more.

Gone Again

Taking off this morning for Tacoma, then eastern Washington for Saturday and Sunday. No email, no web, "no phone, no lights, no motorcar..."

Seriously, though, I'll be back Sunday night, but probably won't get to answering email until Monday at best. So if you fire off a note over the weekend, don't expect a rapid reply. Have a good weekend, all!

Springsteen Therapy Continues

"You make up your mind, you choose the chance you take
You ride to where the highway ends and the desert breaks
Out onto an open road you ride until the day
You learn to sleep at night with the price you pay"

- The Price you Pay, Bruce Springsteen

More Email Crap

My server is still having email problems. If anyone is trying to reach me via email, be patient. Dunno if the emails are lost in the ether, or will eventually show up. But it's annoying me immensely. Can't be good for my blood pressure.

Which, by the way, was 132/80 during my firefighter physical today; pretty sure I passed, barring any unforseen medical problems they didn't mention. Things are looking up, I guess.

Update: It appears I can *send* email through my account, but still can't recieve any. If you've emailed me in the last 24 hours and I haven't responded, just hold tight and we'll see if this gets resolved soon. I've contacted support, so hopefully they'll get on it eventually. Thanks all - 6:41 a.m., Wednesday July 14.

Eleven 3-lb Cans of Lard

For anybody that doesn't know, I've been making a concerted effort the last six months to get in better shape. I've been planning on going through the fire department's training program and test, and they tell me it's pretty rigorous. (See, by becoming firefighter certified, it expands my call-out ability as an EMT; long story, best saved for another post).

Anyway, starting around the first of the year (7 months ago), I joined the local gym and started watching my diet. Nothing extreme - no Atkins for me, thanks - just watching portion size, cutting back on junk food, and getting some exercise.

Bottom line: I've lost 33 lbs since I started, and currently weigh in at 285 lbs. That's not just 33 lbs of fat, it's probably more because I've added muscle to my frame as well. To put it another way, I've dropped four inches (two pant sizes) around my waist, and even the jeans I'm wearing these days are a bit too big.

So, in a moment of ambitious HTML coding, I added some recent pics to the site. They're going to be hard to find without this link, but if you wanna see the current 285-lb Brian Underhill, click away. The top one was taken this evening; the bottom one is from day before yesterday.

If you wanna see me in person, I should be up at Dragonflight in August. Be sure and mention how good I look, and feel free to invade my personal space by fondling my muscles or otherwise groping me. I'm always so sleep deprived at that convention that I probably won't notice anyway...

Springsteen Therapy

"You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes
And follow your dreams down.

But we made a promise we swore we'd always remember
No retreat, baby, no surrender.
Like soldiers in the winter night with a vow to defend,
No retreat, baby, no surrender."

-- No Surrender, Bruce Springsteen

Thanks

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's emailed or called to check up on me after my last "ominous" posting. I'm hanging in there, staying busy, keeping focused on things as best I can, and have had a lot of help from some great people who've been alternately patting me on the back and beating me profusely about the head and shoulders with a big stick. I'm not sure which has been more effective, but I'm definitely getting things into better perspective.

On a related note, I went and watched Spiderman 2, and that movie had a profound impact on me. For those of you in the know, you'll understand when you see it. If not, or if you just have no clue what I'm going on about, just go enjoy a really good movie.

"I believe there's a hero in all of us
who keeps us honest, gives us strength,
makes us noble... even though sometimes
we have to be steady, and give up the
thing we want the most. Even our dreams."
- Aunt May in Spiderman 2

Control

Ever feel like you have everything figured out and under control, and you work your tail off for months on end, and everything just goes along smoothly, then suddenly you get blindsided by something totally unexpected that comes out of nowhere?

I'm feeling that way; really off-balance lately and struggling to deal with it. No, nothing school-related; that's moving along nicely. This one's personal.

So if I don't post a lot here lately, or if my posts seem a bit bizarre, just hang in there or send me some generic supportive email. I'll get through this; it's just a matter of time.

"Can't see nothing in front of me
Can't see nothing comin' up behind.
Make my way through this darkness
Can't feel nothin' but this chain that binds me.

Lost track of how far I've gone.
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed.
On my back's a sixty pound stone,
On my shoulder half my life..."

-- The Rising, Bruce Springsteen